Introducing Anthony
Anthony Gallipoli began his graduate journey at the University of Waterloo in September 2022, after completing his undergraduate studies at Red Deer Polytechnic and the University of Alberta. He is conducting graduate research in Classical Studies with a focus on Roman history, where he primarily looks at Kingdom and Republican periods (753-27 BCE). Anthony’s research explores the five totemic and theriomorphic Republican army standards – eagle, wolf, minotaur, horse, and boar -- and their value and significance to Roman society. His research also investigates them for their apotropaic and therianthropic significance, which involves examining their potential to avert omens or bad luck and exploring the concept of animals turning into humans, respectively.
Conducting Graduate Research in the Field
As part of a study abroad course, Anthony travelled throughout the Aegean and mainland Greece in May and June of 2023, where he saw and interacted with sites he read about as a kid. Such sites were Knossos, Mycenae, and the Oracle at Delphi. He notes the tremendous value of seeing these sites in person, stating that doing so “confirmed [his] belief that [that] was the best way to learn history.” The enriching experience of the trip led Anthony to travel to Italy to conduct independent research for his master’s degree. However, the scope of his research project loomed large – the representation of each of the animals was ubiquitous in Roman standards, which meant he had to research many aspects of Roman society to cover the dimensions of each animal’s representation. He emphasizes that understanding the significance of the symbols from both a totemic and theriomorphic standpoint is critical to understanding Roman society at large.
Anthony’s research must also trace the evolution of the value and significance of each animal, as the implementation of three of the Roman standards allegedly rose centuries before the other two. Simply put, the meaning and representation of each animal were everchanging throughout the centuries and never stayed at a fixed point at any point in time. Sifting through such vast amounts of information no doubt posed as a significant challenge, as his project must be concise and accurate and ask the right questions. Fortunately, the support and guidance of a dedicated committee have helped Anthony mitigate some of these challenges and improve the direction of his project. As well, in order to directly tackle the challenge of thoroughness, Anthony met with an official of the Capitoline Museum in Rome to discuss his research. He also met with an archaeologist and had a similar discussion while exploring Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican Necropolis. Both meetings were profoundly helpful to the development of Anthony’s project and opened it up to new areas of investigation, as well as new directions to take it in. Overall, interactions with professionals in his field of study and with history itself had introduced new research possibilities not previously considered, making his trip abroad a fruitful and fulfilling experience. In closing, Anthony’s trip to the Aegean and mainland Greece was enriching in that it not only helped him grow and evolve as a scholar, but also as a person.
Additional Resources
Graduate students conducting research in the field may find the following campus resources useful:
- Safety Office: The Safety Office has a Field Work Risk Management Program to support safety for those doing work/study outside of the University property.
- International Experience Awards: If your field work will be conducted internationally, you may be eligible to apply for the Graduate Student International Experience Award to support your travel.